CYBF 2009 Seal
Posted: Tuesday 9 March 2010 - 0 comment(s) [ Comment ] - 0 trackback(s) [ Trackback ]
Category: Random Musings

Wouldn't it be nice if simple were easy?

It's not.  Too often we confuse those two words.  Try this 2 minute exercise:

Stay still for one moment and breathe. Just breathe.   Now, pay attention to to each inhalation and exhalation, focusing only on the breath as you feel your lungs fill with air and then deflate as you release your breath through your nose.  Repeat this action for 2 minutes and empty your mind of any thoughts other than observing  your inhalation and exhalation for the duration of the entire exercise.

 Did 2 minutes feel like a long time?  Were you distracted by a noise in the room you never noticed?  Other than watching your own breath, what other thoughts flooded your mind?  Chances are, your mind wandered and busied itself a great deal despite your best efforts to keep it focused on watching your breath.

I remember the first time I tried this exercise in yoga class.  The point of course, is that our minds are so active and full of internal chatter that we don't realize it until we attempt to do nothing more than observe our own breath. It's a simple exercise that can be practiced over and over as we learn to become mindful in our meditation.  The concept is simple, the execution is not easy.  Practice this exercise for a lifetime.

Quitting a bad habit is simple (just stop smoking!), not easy (overcoming the withdrawal).
Joining a group is simple (fill out the form, pay a due), not easy (committing to meetings, sitting on the board, participating in the discussion).

Starting a business is a simple concept. Find or develop a product/service offering, sell it for profit, make money- do it over and over again.  Execution  (managing an enterprise, riding economic storms, funding a venture, staffing, organizing, systemizing, distributing, marketing...) is not easy

Don't confuse simple with easy

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